Luca Guadagnino has waded straight into one of the most sacred pop‑culture temples of the last decade and hung a big overrated sign on the door. Speaking not about some small cult film but about Top Gun: Maverick, he dismissed the blockbuster as “a very bad movie” and argued that its success says more about Hollywood’s nostalgia obsession than about the film’s quality.

Placing Guadagnino firmly on the opposite side of a debate that has been quietly shaping the industry.

Luca Guadagnino made the remarks during an appearance at Il Foglio’s Innovation Festival, where he was discussing how the industry now runs on what he calls an “economy of nostalgia.” Recalling seeing Maverick in a packed theater while he was making Challengers, he said.

“It was huge for thousands of people, and it was a very bad movie.” For Guadagnino, the roaring crowds weren’t proof of greatness; they were proof that audiences are craving the comfort of something they already know. He went further, adding.

“But at the same time, people were screaming, throwing popcorn, they were very happy because the economy of nostalgia right seems to be the only commodity…” In his view, Maverick fits into the same nostalgia machine as legacy sequels and remakes that bank on familiar brands rather than new ideas.

That stance marks a sharp turn from 2022, when he’d praised Top Gun: Maverick as a smart, thoughtful business move. Now, his comments are being read either as a bold critique of Hollywood’s dependency on nostalgia or as a contrarian swipe at a film many credit with helping revive moviegoing after the pandemic. 

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That critique of looking backward now feeds directly into a project that is focused entirely on the future.

Luca Guadagnino’s next film, Artificial, moves away from legacy storytelling and into the volatile world of artificial intelligence. The project reunites him with Andrew Garfield and centers on the internal turmoil surrounding OpenAI. It is positioned as a comedic drama that blends satire with real-world corporate tension.

The story focuses on the dramatic moment when CEO Sam Altman was abruptly removed by the board, only to be reinstated days later. That rapid chain of events exposed fractures within one of the most influential AI companies. The film is expected to explore both the idealism behind technological innovation and the power struggles that shape it.

With a script by Simon Rich and a score by Damon Albarn, Artificial leans into a stylized and character-driven approach. The narrative reportedly balances multiple perspectives, including a tech visionary and a more calculated executive figure. Compared to nostalgia-driven blockbusters, the film positions itself as a reflection on ambition, control, and the human cost of innovation.

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What do you think about Luca Guadagnino’s take on Top Gun: Maverick and Hollywood’s reliance on nostalgia? Let us know in the comments.